The invention relates to a data processing and data transmission system, in which a personal computer is provided which is coupled to a facsimile unit via an interface device for transmission and receipt of facsimile messages, the facsimile unit containing functional groups for optional access of the personal computer.
A PC-fax system is known from the document AT & T Technology, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1989, Short Hills, N.J., US, pages 12 to 17; J. S. Licwinko et al. entitled "AT & T Fax Products and Services Speed The Written Message", in which a fax card is arranged in a personal computer. Fax messages can be transmitted and/or received using the personal computer owing to the fax card arranged in the personal computer. The fax messages can be displayed on a screen of the personal computer and output via a printer connected to the personal computer. The PC fax card offers an interesting alternative to the conventional facsimile unit for the transmission and receipt of fax messages. It is, however, a disadvantage of the solution using the PC fax card that the personal computer with the integrated fax card must be always kept switched on so as to be ready to receive faxes. This means that all the functional units in the personal computer are constantly in a state of operational readiness, even though this state of operational readiness is sometimes not at all desired.
A PC/facsimile system is known from the document IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 1B, June 1990, Armonk, N.Y., US; page 363, entitled "Remote Configuration of a PC-Driven Facsimile System", in which a method is specified for automatically configuring the PC/facsimile system for the first time.
A computer system is known from WO90/09716 which is coupled to a fax transceiving device, which is in its turn connected via a call router to a remote facsimile unit, telephone or computer. The fax transceiving device is preferably integrated into the computer system as a fax card. It is, however, also possible as an alternative for the fax transceiving device to be designed as a facsimile unit, but it must then be ensured that the facsimile unit passes on a fax message which it has received to a memory of the computer system in the form of a digital signal.
An image information processing system is known from the German reference DE-A1-34 31 754, in which a facsimile unit and a personal computer are connected to one another by means of eight parallel data lines, a pair of unidirectional control signal lines and three bidirectional control signal lines. The following four operating modes of the image information processing system are made possible by these connections:
(a) A recording mode, in which the data is recorded by the computer via a plotter in the facsimile unit, PA0 (b) an image input mode, in which the data is input by a scanner in the facsimile unit into the computer, PA0 (c) a transmission/transfer mode, in which the data is passed by the computer to another facsimile unit and is transmitted thereby, and PA0 (d) a receipt/transfer mode, in which the data is input into the computer by another facsimile unit.